Posts Tagged ‘Gregor Gracie’

UFC on Fuel TV 6: For Tom Deblass, making middleweight is just a matter of science

by on November 9, 2012 2:03:42 PM in Features, Fighter Features   |   No Comments »

UFC middleweight Tom DeBlass

After a career of competing above his natural weight class, Tom DeBlass scientifically found a home in the middleweight division.

DeBlass (Twitter: @TomDeBlass) compiled a record of 7-0 before making his first appearance in the Octagon.  The New Jersey native held the Ring of Combat light heavyweight and heavyweight titles when he was called upon to fight Cyrille Diabate at “UFC on Fuel TV 2: Gustafsson vs. Silva” last April in Sweden.  DeBlass had just over a week to cut weight, travel and prepare for Diabate.  Though, he gave a gutsy performance on such limited notice, DeBlass lost the match via majority decision.

DeBlass was scheduled to return to the cage and square off against Nick Penner on July 11 at ”UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman.”  The bout eventually was cancelled due to Penner suffering an injury too close to fight night to find a replacement for DeBlass.

“It worked out because I ended up going to 185 (pounds) anyway,” DeBlass told MMADiehards.com.  “I know if I would’ve won that fight I would’ve stayed at 205 (pounds), and I think 185 (pounds) is much better suited for me.  The guys are my size now.  When I was a light heavyweight, middleweights were walking around bigger than me.  I was always competing against guys that were much bigger than me, so it’s a world of difference.”

DeBlass’ second opportunity to showcase his skills in the UFC will be against Riki Fukuda on Nov. 10 at “UFC on Fuel TV 6: Franklin vs. Le” at Cotai Arena in Cotai, China.  DeBlass said he is looking forward to fighting Fukuda because the Japanese mixed martial artist is a good wrestler and likes to brawl, but he is aware “Killer Bee” is going to be a strong challenge as well.

DeBlass’s training ran its usual course preparing for Fukuda.  He trained with Rafael Natal, Gregor Gracie, Chris Liguori, Frankie Edgar, plus other world class athletes between Ricardo Almeida’s gym and Renzo Gracie’s gym.

One change made was his diet in order to make the middleweight mark, but to DeBlass that is just a matter of science.

“I worked with a nutritionist named George Lockhart,” DeBlass said.  “It was just cleaning up the diet and doing things the right way, it wasn’t so bad.  In the beginning of my career I made cuts from 220 (pounds) to 205 (pounds), but then I got lighter as fights went on.  Everything is scientific; just have to do it the proper way.   I have no doubt I will make the weight with no problems.”

World Series of Fighting finalizes main card of inaugural show with addition of Anthony Johnson

by on October 3, 2012 11:43:03 AM in News   |   No Comments »

http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/10/3/3448756/world-series-of-fighting-finalizes-main-card-of-inaugural-show-with

Andrei Arlovski matches up with Devin Cole at World Series of Fighting

by on September 25, 2012 11:39:42 AM in News   |   No Comments »

http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/9/25/3405224/andrei-arlovski-matches-up-with-devin-cole-at-world-series-of-fighting

“One FC 5: Pride of a Nation” results

by on August 31, 2012 6:40:46 PM in News   |   No Comments »

http://www.onefc.com/news/72-one-fc-pride-of-a-nation-official-results.html

Out of Obscurity: Looking Ahead (Nov. 22 – Nov. 28)

by on November 22, 2010 8:00:33 AM in Features   |   No Comments »

Every Monday, MMA DieHards takes a look at the upcoming week’s schedule of small regional and international shows with a focus on UFC and Pride veterans as well as consensus-ranked fighters. Here’s what’s going down between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28:

Tara LaRosa (photo courtesy of Sherdog)

Spotlight Event: DaMMAge Fight League: The Big Bang (Atlantic City, N.J.; Nov. 24)
The vacant DaMMAge 125-pound women’s title will be on the line at the organization’s inaugural event as No. 1-ranked 125-pounder Tara LaRosa (18-2) goes up against Strikeforce veteran and No. 7-ranked 135-pound female fighter Takayo Hashi (13-2)…UFC and Strikeforce veteran Kevin Jordan (11-8) tangles with UFC vet Branden Lee Hinkle (14-10)…UFC and EliteXC veteran Chris Liguori (11-8) takes on John Salgado (3-3-1)…UFC and ShoXC veteran Rafaello Oliveira (11-3) meets Kevin Roddy (9-10-1)…Gregor Gracie (3-1) and UFC veteran Mike Massenzio (11-4) are also expected to compete on the card, though neither man has a listed opponent…The event airs live via pay-per-view internet stream at GoFightLive.

North American Fighting Championship: Bad Blood (Milwaukee, Wis.; Nov. 24)
WEC veteran Sherron Leggett (19-5) is slated to face Shine Fights vet James Warfield (21-7)…WEC and Bellator veteran Jameel Massouh (24-7) locks horns with Chico Camus (7-1)…Bellator veteran Jason Guida (18-25) squares off with Sam Alvey (13-2).

Ruckus IV (Addison, Ill.; Nov. 24)
Dream veteran and former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe (15-7) goes up against Josh Kasee (6-1).

King of the Cage: Platinum (Durban, South Africa; Nov. 25)
King of the Cage makes its first trip to the continent of Africa with a card headlined by UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock (28-14-2). Shamrock will fight Pride veteran Mike Bourke (9-16-1).

STFC 14: Texas vs. Las Vegas (McAllen, Tex.; Nov. 27)
UFC and Pride veteran Wanderlei Silva will be a special guest at the show… The event airs live via pay-per-view internet stream at GoFightLive.

Tempel: Mix Fight Gala 11 (Sindelfingen, Germany; Nov. 27)
In a fight that made Sherdog’s list of 10 November Tussles Worth Watching, World Free Fight Challenge middleweight champion Bruno Carvalho (11-4) battles World Full Contact Association 185-pound champ Robert Jocz (19-6).

Other Events
Nov. 23
Zst 26: Eighth Anniversary (Tokyo)

Nov. 24
American Fighting Organization: Thanksgiving Massacre 3 (Mansfield, Mass.)
Brutaal: Mankato (Anoka, Minn.)
Cage Combat MMA (Muskegon, Mich.)
G2 Fight Night: Black Wednesday 2010 (Tinley Park, Ill.)
NAAFS: Caged Fury 13 (East Liverpool, Ohio)
Ohio Fighting Championship: Thanksgiving Throwdown (Hilliard, Ohio)
Yankee Lake Brawlroom 24 (Brookfield, Ohio)

Nov. 25
Atlas Fights (Biloxi, Miss.)

Nov. 26
Cage Fight 6 (Scranton, Pa.)
Steve Easley’s Sacred Circus: Black & Blue Friday (Tulare, Calif.)

Nov. 27
Brazil Fight 3: Minas Gerais vs. Sao Paulo (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil)
Cage Warriors Fighting Championships 39: The Uprising (Cork City, Ireland)
K-1 Scandinavia: Rumble of the Kings (Stockholm, Sweden)
King of the Cage: Zero Tolerance (Mescalero/Ruidoso, New Mexico)
MMA Big Show: The Uprising (Florence, Ind.)
Total Warrior Challenge 8 (Indianapolis)
UCF Cage Combat (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
The Zone FC: Warriors (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Nov. 28
GCM: Cage Force 20 (Tokyo)
GCM: Valkyrie 8 (Tokyo)

Frankie Edgar & Gregor Gracie Talk About Honoring the Real Heroes on Veteran’s Day

by on November 11, 2010 5:48:42 AM in Fighter Features, Videos   |   No Comments »

Frankie Edgar (photo courtesy of Sherdog)

Happy Veteran’s Day from everyone at MMADIEHARDS.com

Out of Obscurity: The Week in Review (Sept. 30 – Oct. 7)

by on October 8, 2010 9:54:09 AM in Features   |   No Comments »

Every Friday, MMA DieHards will take a look – with video footage when possible – at the previous week’s action at small regional and international shows with a focus on UFC and Pride veterans, consensus-ranked fighters and up-and-coming prospects. Here’s what went down between Sept. 30 and Oct. 7:

Pancrase: Passion Tour 9 (Tokyo; Oct. 3)
Sengoku veteran Satoru Kitaoka (27-10-9) secured a guillotine choke to submit UFC and Dream veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-8) in the second round of a fight that made Sherdog’s list of 10 October Tussles Worth Watching.

C3 Fights: Red River Rivalry (Concho, Okla.; Sept. 30)
Brandon Shelton moved to 15-4 with a unanimous decision win over Warren Stewart (5-14)…Joe Bunch (11-3) scored a second round TKO of Edwynn Jones (4-14).

Aggression MMA V: Uprising (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Oct. 1)
UFC veteran Tim Hague (12-4) needed less than two minutes to knock out UFC and Pride veteran Travis Wiuff (62-14)…Cody Krahn (9-2) made quick work of Tim Skidmore (3-17), submitting him via choke at the 32 second mark of the opening round.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championships 38: Young Guns (London; Oct. 1)
UFC veteran Matt Veach (14-2) captured the CWFC lightweight crown with a unanimous decision victory over Kenneth Rosfort-Nees (14-4)…In a fight that made Sherdog’s 10 October Tussles Worth Watching, Jason Young (7-3) earned a unanimous nod over Sergej Grecicho (8-3-1)…Cage Rage veteran Che Mills (11-4) took home a unanimous decision over Jake Hecht (6-2)…Danny Batten (13-5-3) earned a unanimous decision over Ismael Padavia (2-2).

ProFC: Union Nation Cup 8 (Odessa, Ukraine; Oct. 1)
Pavel Kusch (8-1) locked in an armbar in the first round to submit Vladimir Vuckovic (5-8)…Shamil Zavurov (9-1) earned a unanimous decision over Vladimir Katyihin (2-2).

Absolute Action MMA: Battle Against Breast Cancer (Florence, Ky.; Oct. 2)
Strikeforce veteran Kim Couture (3-3) locked in a reverse arm-triangle choke to submit Felicia Wells (0-1) in the second round.

Brick City Fighting Championship: Gracie vs. Linke (Newark, N.J.; Oct. 2)

Gracie (red trunks) vs. Linke

Gregor Gracie (3-1) submitted Mariusz Linke (10-4) via first round rear-naked choke.

Cage Fight: The Strongest Man in Hungary (Sopron, Hungary; Oct. 2)
Maro Perak (19-2-1) won two fights in one night, punching Florian Noje (0-2) into a first round submission and earning a unanimous decision over Miodrag Petkovic (31-14-1).

CageSport 12 (Tacoma, Wash.; Oct. 2)
Strikeforce veteran Ryan Healy (19-8-1) earned a unanimous decision over Eddie Pelczynski (12-8).

Gladiators (Rochester, Minn.; Oct. 2)
TUF 6 alum and UFC veteran Tommy Speer (15-5) earned a unanimous decision over Ashkan Morvari (8-3)…Cameron Befort (2-3) struck UFC veteran Brad Kohler (11-14) into submission in the first round…UFC veteran Chad Reiner (26-12) locked in a guillotine choke to submit Robert Gotreau (3-1) in the second round.

Juiz de Fora Fight: Evolution (Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.; Oct. 2)
Andre Santos (22-3) submitted Gilmar Milhorance (0-2) via anaconda choke in the second round…Luiz Alberto Nogueira (9-1) earned a unanimous decision over Mauricio Antonio Santos Jr. (2-5).

King of the Cage: Underground 63 (Laughlin, Nev.; Oct. 2)
Jason Lane (3-1) needed just 46 seconds to score a TKO of Pride veteran Mike Bourke (9-16-1).

Maximum Fighting League 2: Halloween Throwdown (Roanoke, N.C.; Oct. 2)
Donovan Mickie (10-1) submitted Adam Armstrong (0-2) via second round rear-naked choke.

Olympian MMA Championships 7: Vengeance (Liverpool, England; Oct. 2)

Scanlon (with back to camera) vs. Reid

Alex Makhonin (8-1) earned a unanimous decision over Denniston Sutherland (13-6)…James Doolan (11-4) scored a second round TKO of UFC veteran Leigh Remedios (17-8-2)…Mark Scanlon (7-0) kept his undefeated record intact, needing just 10 seconds to knock Michael Reid (2-2) out via head kick.

Rebel Fights: Domination (Roseville, Calif.; Oct. 2)

Irvin (black and yellow trunks) vs. DeAnda

UFC veteran James Irvin (15-7) claimed the Rebel Fights heavyweight championship with a first round knockout of Angel DeAnda (7-2).

Shoot & Sprawl 2 (Northampton, England; Oct. 2)

Round 3 of Kee (black trunks) vs. Sidibe

Warren Kee (7-0) maintained his unblemished record with a third round TKO of Ousmane Sidibe (3-2).

Triumph Fighter 4: Hostile (Milford, N.H.; Oct. 2)
UFC and Affliction veteran Dan Lauzon (13-4) scored a second round TKO of John Ortolani (4-2).

Gregor Gracie makes the most of Brick City FC debut

by on October 3, 2010 11:56:45 PM in Features, Fighter Features   |   1 Comment »

Picture courtesy of TheFightNerd.com

Newark, N.J. – It was a good night to be a member of Team Renzo Gracie.

At the debut of the Brick City Fighting Championship in Newark, four of the venerable jiu-jitsu master’s star pupils entered the cage against a variety of foes, and all four found victory waiting for them on the other side of battle.  Yet of that quartet, it was Gregor Gracie who shined the brightest.

Making the most of his marquee billing, Gregor steamrolled over Gold Team Fighters welterweight Mariusz Linke, scoring first with hard kicks and punches, then seamlessly transitioning to the ground, where he had his opponent in trouble almost instantly.  Linke did his best to defend the ensuing rear naked choke, but with Gregor on your back, a tap out is practically inevitable.  It came in just under two minutes.

In non-Team Renzo action, wrestling stud Eric Bradley and perpetual gamer Josh Key went the distance in a crowd-pleasing thriller.  As predicted, Bradley had little trouble getting Key down to work his ground-and-pound and rear-naked-choke mojo.  But every chance Key got – and those chances increased as the bout wore on – he stood and absolutely battered Bradley with his heavy hands.

Bradley survived, albeit just barely, and took the unanimous decision when time ran out.

Elsewhere on the card, Team Renzo rep Artur Rofi dominated Adolpho Sanchez, putting the Rhino Fight Team exponent through the submission ringer and even popping Sanchez’s arm at the end of the first round.  Undaunted, the undeniably tough Sanchez came out for more, and at the end of Round 2 Rofi was in mount, raining down knockout blows.

Carlos Cline survived an early scare in the opening round of his bout against Don Wagner, recovering from Wagner’s fistic assault to control position and reign supreme on the ground.  Cline took the unanimous decision as well.

Japanese Team Renzo scrapper Daisuke Yamaji went back and forth with Maciej Linke before turning up the heat and putting him away in Round 2.

Brick City FC Results:

-Gregor Gracie def. Mariusz Linke by submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 1, 2:13

-Jerome Martinez def. Jose Rodriguez by submission (verbal), Rd. 1, 3:26

-Carlos Cline def. Don Wagner by unanimous decision

-Daisuke Yamaji def. Maciej Linke by TKO (punches), Rd. 2, 1:01

-Glen Sandull def. JA Dudley by unanimous decision

-Eric Bradley def. Josh Key by unanimous decision

-Artur Rofi def. Adolpho Sanchez by KO (punches), Rd. 2, 4:53

-Ran Weathers def. Brandon Adamson by Rear Naked Choke at 1:47, R2

Brick City FC Results

by on October 3, 2010 12:36:30 AM in News   |   No Comments »

http://mmadiehards.com/features/gregor-gracie-makes-the-most-of-brick-city-fc-debut-2/

Brick City Fighting Championship: Bringing Pro MMA to Newark

by on September 28, 2010 9:03:07 PM in Features, Fighter Features   |   No Comments »

The Brick City Fighting Championship comes to Newark’s Essex County College on October 2

After the usual summer lull, New Jersey’s pro MMA scene has hit the fall like a shin to the head, first with the UCC in Jersey City, then with M-1 Global and Ring of Combat 31 in Atlantic City. And now, in week number four of this full contact onslaught, comes the Brick City Fighting Championship – a newcomer to the circuit and an organization ready to provide Newark (a.k.a., the “Brick City”) with a night of fistic action.

“I want to bring the exciting fights to the fans,” says promoter Lou Turco, the man behind Brick City FC. “I don’t want to watch the best wrestler roll around on the ground with someone trying not to lose. I want someone trying to win, not trying not to lose. I want excitement.”

For almost 20 years Turco has been carrying a gun and a badge for his “day job”, but most familiar with the local MMA scene know him for the many hats he’s worn in the fight business. From an inspector for the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, to a partner in both a Renzo Gracie affiliate gym and Kevin Mullhall’s New Jersey Fight Club, to a manager of fighters, he’s seen it from nearly all angles. Promoting is simply the next logical step.

“I learned a lot from Nick Lembo,” says Turco. “And I watched other promotions come and go, such as Cage Fury by Felix Martinez. It was the best show I’d ever seen. He started off with a big show with a really big budget. But if you don’t start a show with a fan base commensurate to its size, it’s going to collapse when a financial backer pulls out.”

To that end, Turco’s stocked Brick City FC’s debut card with locals – which, given Newark’s dense population of Brazilians, means there’ll be a lot of screaming and cheering Team Renzo and Gold Team Fighters fans in the audience.

However, the first installment of the Brick City FC isn’t going to be a repeat of Karriem Abdallah’s “The Return of Macaco”, a one-off 2009 event that saw the Essex County College gymnasium transformed into Rio de Janeiro circa Pentagon Combat. Besides Igor and Gregor Gracie, longtime Team Renzo rep Carlos Cline and Gold Team Fighter Maciej Linke, the roster also features Rhino Fight Team coach Rob Guarino, slugger Josh Key and the always-entertaining Jose Rodriguez. There are even a few Greg Jackson-trained fighters in the mix.

“Our goal is to try to avoid boring fights,” says Turco, and if the composition of his 11-bout fight card is of any indication, he might very well achieve that goal.

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